Parents’ Group raises funds and hosts events to enhance the Farragut Experience
L-R: President Denise Colangelo, Vice President Saskia Etter, Secretary Carolyn DeMaio, and Treasurer July Bonilla
The Parents’ Group continues to raise much-needed funds to enhance the programs Farragut offers and keep the campus beautiful. This year, the 2016-17 Parents’ Group executive board focused on a few different ways to increase parent participation and communication.
A new “Admiral Farragut Academy Parents’ Group” Facebook Group was setup to share upcoming events, reminders, and the meeting minutes. Their main goal is to get as many parents involved in whatever capacity they are able to do as their schedules permit. They want to bring new and returning families and students together through volunteer and social activities and they do this through various events throughout the year.
They started out the school year with a beautification day prior to the start of school. New and returning parents, students, and faculty came together to plant, weed, trim and mulch areas around campus.
The first few projects the Parents’ Group tackled before the start of the school year began with donating funds towards the purchase of a new school van and repaving the admissions parking lot. The tennis courts were also replaced, which enabled both Lower and Upper School students to have a safe and quality surface to practice on, as well as an enclosed area for Lower School PE classes.
Malia Bakken, past president, offered a Saturday Zumba class in October where participants enjoyed a great workout and some laughs. Both events will be held again during the school year as well as an Earth Day beach cleanup led by Sari Deitche, Chair of Science Department on March 22, 2017.
During October, the Parents’ Group hosted the Annual Scholastic Book Fair with a pirate theme, and Annual Golf Tournament. The book fair raised $2,800 in Scholastic Dollars which was double that of the previous year. Over 450 new books were purchased for our library and all Lower School teachers and Upper School English teachers were gifted $100 for additional books. The golf tournament had over 75 golfers and raised over $12,600, thanks to event chair, Alison Lescarbeau.
In November, the Parents’ Group held the Annual Poinsettia Sale which raised an additional $3,000, thanks to fundraiser chair, Joellen Sokolowski. The proceeds of the sale will go towards the Shade Project to create areas of shade around campus while educating students about sun safety. Phase 1 will see the addition of sunscreen stations in the Lower School playground, tennis and basketball courts, and the pool area.
Other fun upcoming events for students include a Lower School Daddy/Daughter Dance and Mother/Son Adventure Day. Also, an Upper School night out at several local businesses is in the works.
Please reach out to Parents’ Group president Denise Colangelo by email parentsgroup@farragut2.org if you are interested in joining the Parents’ Group. They are all parents who love to support our amazing school!
